Molded pulp article



Sept. 8, 1936. E Y 2,053.949

MOLDED PULP ARTICLE Filed April 18, 1953 v 7 I j Inveraior RzclcardL.E1ne1:y.

Patented Sept. 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v. 2,053,949.

MOLDED PULP ARTICLE banking association Application April 18, 1933, Serial No. 686,674

3 Claims.

This invention relates to single use containers and receptacles made entirely of some lightweight, inexpensiv'e material, as molded pulp, paper, or the like.

as illustrative of the variety of articles contemplated herein, I may mention plates, dishes, trays and cuspidors. These articles may be either shallow articles, as in the case of certain plates and dishes, or deep articles as in the case of trays and cuspidors and the larger sizes and shapes of plates and dishes. Likewise, such articles may be made in a variety of shapes, as circular, square, etc.

One problem with such a receptacle or container made of such light-weight material is that the article isea'sily tilted or tipped over when placed on a flat supporting surfa'ce,'as a table in the case of a plate or dish, or the floor in the case of a cuspidor.

Considering the cuspidor as characteristic of the general line of, light-weight single service receptacles and containers made of molded pulp or the like, it is to be noted that the problem. in-

volved is to stabilize the article in the region of its base so as to prevent it from being tipped over or tilted.

Where made of metal or ceramic ware, this offers no difficulty, since the article may readily be counter-weighted, but counter-weighting is an impombility in an article made of molded pulp or the like which is intended as a single-service article and consequently must be produced at the minimum cost.

Nor is it feasible to make the article in some impossible thickness, weight, or design. To the contrary, thickness, weight, and design'are very definitely limited by manufacturing and sales limitations.

At the outset therefore, certain factors are involved which are definitely restrictive in the matter of solving the problem presented. With these in mind my present invention contemplates a single service receptacle or container, made of molded pulp or other light weight fibrous material,

preferably molded pulp, which embodies as an inherent feature of its construction an element 'of extension l5.

contact with such supporting surface to impart stability to the article, as well as generally to stiffen and reinforce the same in the region where it is normally weakest and most susceptible to distortion.

For the purposes of this application I shall discuss my invention in its adaptation to a cuspidor. Such an article is a relatively deep receptacle and by reason of the nature of its purpose and use is most apt to be tipped over. It is to be understood, however, that this treatment is purely illustrative and in no way limiting, since the principles of my invention apply to various other receptacles and containers.

In the accompanying drawing:--

Fig. I is a perspective view of a receptacle, as a cuspidor, made of molded pulp or other light weight inexpensive fibrous material, and embodying the features of my present invention, and

Fig. II is a vertical section therethrough.

I have indicated generally at it a one piece article, as a cuspidor or other open-top receptacle, which for the purposes of this application may be considered as made entirely of molded pulp by suction and pressure on an open foraminous die.

Such article is essentially a receptacle presenting an open-top, closed bottom recess or cavity and an enclosing and sustaining wall or rim.

As here shown, the internal cavity is indicated at Ii and is defined by an inverted V-shaped enclosing rim or wall l2l3 and a connecting portion i4 constituting the cavity bottom. The outer portion ii of the rim or wall iI-li terminates in a generally horizontally extending rim This preferably although not necessarily is of channel cross-section as indicated at I and terminates in an outwardly extending horizontal edge II, the whole providing a combination stabilizing and reinforcing annulus. Preferably, the cavity bottom is flat as best shown in Fig. II, so as to rest squarely on the floor or other supporting surface S on which the receptacle is placed, but if desired the bottom may be slightly concaved.

The inverted V-shape of the wall "-43 provides a wall area of maximum strength, and the cavity bottom It is enclosed within such area,

being in fact suspended from the inner wall portion I2.

Both portions i2 and ii are of substantially to equal height so that the recess or cavity II is substantiallycoextensive in depth therewith.

The rim extension i5-l6l 1 being disposed in a plane generally parallel to that of the supporting surface S enables the receptacle when accidentally struck, kicked, or otherwise contacted, to slide in an upright condition along the surface S rather than to tilt or tip over. To this extent such extension acts as a runner or extended slide bearing which stabilizes the receptacle as a whole by its steady, flat bearing on the surface S. Apart from its function as a stabilizer, such rim extension acts as an annular truss or reinforcement at the base of the rim portion l3 where the article is ordinarily weakest. It also affords an annular gutter or trap about the base of the receptacle effective to catch and retain any overflow from the central cavity.

The rim extension may be of any practical width and cross-section. In effect, it constitutes a continuation of the cavity bottom l4, being spaced therefrom by the distance separating the inverted V-shaped wall portions I2 and I3 at their lower edges.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A receptacle of fibrous material having a receiving portion and an enclosing rim of inverted V-cross-section, and a rim -extension disposed in the plane of the receiving portion and of such cross-section as to afford a gutter or trap for any overflow from the receiving portion, said rim extension terminating in a substantially hori zontal flange disposed above the plane of the receiving portion of the receptacle.

2. A single service plate, dish, tray or other container or receptacle made entirely of fibrous material, comprising outer and inner portions connected with each other at their upper edge,

said outer portion extending downwardly and outwardly and said inner portion extending downwardly and inwardly, a bottom wall joining the lower extremity of said inner portion, an outwardly turned rim extension at the lower edge of said outer portion, said bottom wall and said rim extension being substantially co-planar with each other and,bearingron the floor or other support upon which the receptacle is placed at points which are separated from each other by the divergence of the outer and inner portions of the enclosing wall, and said rim extension constituting an annular reenforcement for the lower edge of said outer wall portion, and a gutter or trap for any overflow from the receiving portion of the receptacle provided by said inner wall portion and said bottom wall, said outwardly turned rim extension terminating in a substantially horizontal flange disposed above the plane of the bottom of the container.

3. A receptacle of sheet material having a receiving portion and an enclosing rim of inverted substantially V-cross-section, and a rim extension supporting the V-shaped section and the receiving portion and-itself adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, said rim extension being of such cross-section as to afford a channel having an open top and a closed bottom, said rim extension terminating in a substantially horizontal flange disposed above the closed bottom thereof, the bottom wall of the receiving portion and the bottom portion of the rim extension being substantially co-planar.

RICHARD L. EMERY. 

